Item 1
Kumkum, turmeric, sandal paste, akshata and loose flowers
The archana set for the Saraswati Pooja — white flowers are Saraswati's — and the akshata the elders bless the child with.
🎁 For Aksharabhyasam
Aksharabhyasam Kit — the Aksharabhyasam Samagri List
The Aksharabhyasam samagri list for the child's first letters — the rice tray the first Om is written in, the slate and stylus, the Saraswati picture and the yellow cloth she is dressed in, and the Saraswati archana set. Performed on Vijayadasami, Vasanta Panchami or a muhurtham in the child's third or fifth year; annotated below.
About this kit
What the Aksharabhyasam Kit is for
Aksharabhyasam — Vidyarambham in Kerala and Tamil Nadu — is the samskara that begins a child's learning: after a Saraswati Pooja, the child's finger is guided by the father or a teacher to write the first letters in a tray of rice, then on a slate, and the child is blessed with akshata. The samagri is the Saraswati Pooja set plus the writing things, and turmeric root, jaggery and fruit for the sweetness of learning.
The kit carries the rice tray, a slate and stylus, a Saraswati picture and yellow cloth, the archana set, jaggery and dry fruits, camphor, agarbatti and wicks, and supplies the coconut, banana, turmeric root and betel fresh against the date. The date itself is a muhurtham question — Vijayadasami needs no separate muhurtham; other days do — and the Aksharabhyasam page is the place to ask.
What is in the box
Contents — 7 items, and what each is for
Item 2
Rice tray for the first letters
A tray of rice in which the child, with a guiding hand, writes Om and the first letters of the alphabet with the finger or the gold ring.
Item 3
Slate and stylus
The slate on which the letters are written a second time and the stylus or chalk, kept afterwards as the child's first.
Item 4
Saraswati picture and yellow cloth
The picture of Saraswati worshipped in the pooja and the yellow cloth she is dressed in and the books are wrapped in.
Item 5
Coconut, banana, jaggery and dry fruits
The naivedyam to Saraswati and the sweetness placed on the child's tongue before writing; shared afterwards as prasadam.
Item 6
Turmeric root and betel leaves
A whole turmeric root placed with the books as the auspicious mark, and tamboolam for the purohit and the teacher.
Item 7
Camphor, agarbatti and cotton wicks
Lamps, dhoopam and the harathi for Saraswati and for the child.
Samagri requirements vary with regional tradition, family custom and the performing priest. This list is what the kit is normally assembled with — confirm the final contents with your purohit before dispatch. Fresh items are supplied against your ceremony date.
Through the ceremony
How the samagri is used in Aksharabhyasam
Saraswati's peetham
The Saraswati picture is set on the peetham with the yellow cloth, the child's first books, the slate and the rice tray in front of it, and the lamps are lit.
Sankalpam and Ganapathi Pooja
The parents state the sankalpam for the child's learning; Ganapathi is worshipped with turmeric, akshata and flowers.
Saraswati Pooja
Saraswati is invoked and offered the shodashopachara and the Saraswati Ashtottara with white flowers and akshata; the books, slate and stylus are worshipped with her.
The first letters
Jaggery is touched to the child's tongue, and the father or teacher guides the child's finger to write Om and the first letters in the rice, then with the stylus on the slate.
Blessing
The elders bless the child with akshata; the turmeric root is placed with the books and the child bows to Saraswati, the teacher and the parents.
Harathi and prasadam
Camphor harathi to Saraswati and the child, tamboolam to the purohit and the teacher, and the naivedyam shared as prasadam.
Not in the box
What the house provides
- The child's first books or an alphabet chart, and a gold ring for writing in the rice if the family uses one
- Rice for the peetham beyond the tray
- Milk or payasam if the family offers it as naivedyam
- A teacher or elder to guide the child's hand, if not the father
- New clothes for the child
- Plates, a bell and the harathi plate
Common questions
Before you book
What is on the Aksharabhyasam samagri list?
The archana powders and flowers; a rice tray; a slate and stylus; a Saraswati picture and yellow cloth; coconut, banana, jaggery and dry fruits; a turmeric root and betel leaves; camphor, agarbatti and cotton wicks. The books, a gold ring and the child's new clothes are the family's own.
When is Aksharabhyasam performed?
On Vijayadasami, which needs no separate muhurtham, on Vasanta Panchami, or on a muhurtham fixed for the child in the third or fifth year — odd years are preferred. The Aksharabhyasam page explains the choice.
What is written first?
Om, then the first letters of the family's script — Telugu, Sanskrit or the language the child will learn — written in the rice tray with a guiding hand and again on the slate. Some families write 'Om Namah Shivaya' or 'Hari Sri Ganapataye Namah' in the Kerala form.
Is Aksharabhyasam the same as Vidyarambham?
Yes — Vidyarambham is the name used in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where it is performed on Vijayadasami at a temple or with a teacher; Aksharabhyasam is the Telugu name for the same samskara.
Can it be performed at a temple rather than at home?
Yes — the Saraswati or Ganapathi temple is a common choice, and the kit is packed to carry. Tell us the temple and the muhurtham.
How do I order?
Tell us the ceremony date when you enquire. We confirm availability, the final contents and the price before anything is charged; fresh items are supplied against the date.
Other kits
Also assembled
Ordering the Aksharabhyasam Kit?
Send us the ceremony date and we will confirm availability, the final contents and the price before anything is charged.